The Netflix of Retirement
A lifetime subscription to retirement income
Retirement income planning can feel overwhelming, and you might not be sure that your decisions will be good enough. But what if your financial future came with the same certainty, ease, and satisfaction as streaming your favourite TV show? Imagine a plan that takes the guesswork out of your retirement years, offering reliability and comfort with no (advert) breaks!
One subscription, endless value
Think about streaming services like Netflix. You pay a monthly fee, and in return, you get unlimited entertainment. Rain or shine, weekday or weekend, it’s always there. You don’t worry about running out of shows.
Now imagine a financial product that works the same way. You pay once (a lump sum), and in return, you get a steady stream of income for the rest of your life. That’s a life annuity. It’s your personal subscription to financial peace of mind.
Unlike managing a complex investment portfolio or juggling rental properties, life annuities are refreshingly low maintenance. You don’t need to rebalance anything, track dividends, or worry about investment market movements. It’s the financial equivalent of auto-play: you set it up once, and it just keeps going.
A life annuity offers predictable income which provides peace of mind and certainty, letting you enjoy retirement without the constant worry of running out of money or tracking every penny. With a life annuity, you can focus on what matters most: enjoying your life – episode after episode. After decades of working, budgeting, and planning, don’t you deserve a little simplicity?
No more “what’s next?” anxiety
One of the biggest fears in retirement is outliving savings. It’s like binge-watching a favourite series and realising you’re on the last episode with no sequel in sight. A life annuity solves that. It keeps the income coming, no matter how long your retirement season is.
Whether you live to 80, 90, or 105, your life annuity keeps paying. It doesn’t worry about market crashes, or whether your cousin’s crypto investment tanked. It just delivers like clockwork.
Mix and match
Just as you might enjoy subscribing to both Netflix and Disney+ to broaden your entertainment options, you don't have to put all your retirement savings into a single type of annuity. Instead, you can blend a life annuity with a living annuity to balance reliability and flexibility as you move through retirement.
By blending these financial products, you can use a life annuity to secure a regular income every month that cannot go down, no matter what the markets do. Think of your life annuity as the dependable foundation that could pay for necessities such as housing, groceries, healthcare, and maybe even a few of life's pleasures. Meanwhile, a living annuity can provide extra spending power and the opportunity to adjust your withdrawal strategy as your needs or goals evolve over time.
A conversation with your financial adviser can help you determine the best mix for your situation, ensuring that your retirement income is both resilient and responsive.
The final episode? Not anytime soon
Here’s the best part: with a life annuity, you don’t have to worry about a series finale. Your income doesn’t stop at Season 10 or even Season 20 – it keeps streaming for as long as you do. It’s the subscription that never expires, the show that never gets cancelled, and the comfort of knowing that no matter how many plot twists life throws your way, your financial story has a steady, reliable script.
So, if you’re looking for a way to make retirement feel a little more secure (and a lot less stressful), consider adding a life annuity to your financial lineup. It may not have flashy special effects, but it delivers a rock-solid performance every single month. And in a world full of cliffhangers, that’s the kind of ending we all deserve.
This article is part of a series intended for publication on You've Earned It, the digital media platform for 55-plussers.